As is well known, consumers demand a choice between many different models of automobiles. Depending on the circumstances, some consumers might desire a simple yet effective automobile, with the principal and indeed overriding consideration being cost. With this in mind, the present invention recognizes that it is possible to provide an effective and useful automobile, the cost of which can be minimized by minimizing the weight of the automobile and by using the novel structure disclosed herein.
More specifically, the present invention recognizes that a useful, low-cost, lightweight automobile can be provided which has a molded plastic body consisting essentially of a unitarily molded left half side bonded to a unitarily molded right half side. It will readily be appreciated that a molded plastic body is both lightweight, compared to metal automobile bodies, and inexpensive, compared to, e.g., fiberglass automobile bodies.
As further recognized by the present invention, by making an automobile body of lightweight molded plastic, weight bearing components such as suspension springs can be simplified vis-a-vis weight bearing components of heavier steel-bodied automobiles. Consequently, the overall cost of the lightweight automobile can be even further reduced relative to heavier automobiles.
It happens, however, that as recognized herein, in making an automobile body of plastic, additional changes beyond simplification must be made to the automobile suspension system relative to existing suspension systems. For instance, in existing automobile suspension systems, elongated shock absorbers are mounted vertically between the suspension springs and the body of the automobile, with the body thus providing load support for the shock absorbers. The present invention recognizes that plastic automobile bodies unfortunately cannot easily provide sufficient load support for shock absorbers.
Indeed, as recognized herein the load of the shock absorbers on the plastic body, were the shock absorbers to be connected directly to the body, could crack and otherwise damage the body. Simply reinforcing the plastic body to support the shock absorber load would tend to undesirably increase the cost of the automobile and would not necessarily be effective in preventing body damage over prolonged automobile use. Accordingly, it is one intent of the present invention to support suspension system shock absorbers with structure other than the automobile body.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a suspension system for a lightweight automobile that incorporates a relatively simple design. Another object of the present invention is to provide a suspension system for a lightweight automobile that is effective in stabilizing the automobile. Still another object of the present invention is to provide a suspension system for a lightweight automobile in which shock absorbers are not connected directly to the body of the automobile. Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a suspension system for a lightweight automobile that is easy to use and cost-effective to manufacture.